A Spanish-fluent former Democratic Party chairman and one-time governor from an emergent swing state in the South, Kaine’s understated political skills and sterling reputation among party insiders would make him an instantly credible White House candidate, if a dark horse.

Of course, that’s if Hillary Clinton doesn’t run. And Kaine will make it known on Saturday that he plans to support to Clinton in 2016 if she decides to embark on a White House bid, according to Democrats familiar with his plans.

Kaine is to announce at a South Carolina Women’s Democratic Council breakfast in Columbia that he is joining Ready for Hillary, a pro-Clinton Super PAC that’s been laying political groundwork for the former Secretary of State should she seek the 2016 nomination. He's also set to deliver a short speech extolling Clinton's qualifications for the White House.

“Secretary Hillary Clinton is the best person to be our 45th President for many reasons,” Kaine will say, according to prepared remarks provided to CNN. “She is a classic American optimist with the background and experiences necessary to lead this country in a very complicated world.”

Kaine was one of Barack Obama’s first public supporters, and one of few top-tier Democrats to oppose Clinton, after Obama announced his upstart presidential campaign in 2007.

“I was and am proud that I was an early supporter of our great President,” Kaine will say on Saturday. “I made my decision early because I knew something-he was the right person for the job but getting there would be hard. And I figured that the sooner I started helping him in Virginia, the more helpful I would be.”

“I’m stating my support for Hillary Clinton today for the same reason,” he will say. “She’s the right person for the job.”

If Clinton decides not to run, Kaine will be making the most of his South Carolina jaunt with a packed political schedule that will introduce him to key Democrats in the state.

Along with the breakfast and the J-J Dinner, Kaine attended Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual Fish Fry, a casual yearly meet-and-greet for Democratic activists and officials, on Friday evening in Columbia.

--thanks, Tim, all just say YES, ON HILLARY16.
PS: slogan should be "YES, ON HILLARY16." Some one publish these stickers, I will buy.

May 3, 2014 06:52 am at 6:52 am |

Tampa Tim

I see Uncle Sugar is moving up in the bagger polls.

May 3, 2014 07:14 am at 7:14 am |

Marie MD

I second that.

May 3, 2014 07:43 am at 7:43 am |

Rick McDaniel

CNN.........five you propaganda a rest. It is soooooo OBVIOUS!

May 3, 2014 07:56 am at 7:56 am |

Al

There you go Virginia your representative wants to continue the path of no full time jobs, he wants to continue the path of higher taxes / fees. Is that what you're wanting to see you federal and your state taxes go up? Are you that rich that you are willing to allow a criminal to take money out of your pocket when you worked hard to get it?

May 3, 2014 08:57 am at 8:57 am |

Gregory M. Newbold

If memory serves me correctly was this Senator and former Governor also Secretary of the Navy? As a "southern" man I suppose all of these combine to give him an impressive resume for VP or potentially POTUS. If Kaine could run with Ms. Clinton and assuredly deliver a pleasant electoral vote surprise for the Democrats ( SC, GA, MO, TN, IN, AR) then he'd be a great asset. He also gives Team Hillary a fresh, more youthful appeal which I see is the flank she has to protect.

If Clinton has two younger lieutenants early that demonstrate more than TOKEN influence, she will go a long way toward muting criticism that she is too old AND that her administration would be disconnected from the younger "Obama-coalition" base.

May 3, 2014 09:38 am at 9:38 am |

Lizzie

Why do we even have elections, let's just appoint Mrs.Clinton President and be done with. Even better, maybe we could get Michelle Obama to be appointed and she can finish what her husband has started.

May 3, 2014 10:00 am at 10:00 am |

ThinkAgain - Don't like Congress? Get rid of the repub/tea bag majority.

@Cam: "Hillary has two problems....
1. She was a supporter of the Iraq war
2. Where was she during the Benghazi attack and why did she blame it on a video?"

I know this is a foreign concept to knee-jerk, unthinking gop/tea bag types like yourself, but the Obama Administration listened to the initial intelligence, relayed that information, and then updated it as more and better intelligence was produced.

There was also the very sensitive matter of the CIA post only 1.2 miles from the consulate in Benghazi – and the possible role Stevens played in its activities.

If you're looking for a Benghazi investigation to sink your teeth into, how about bringing all the repubs who voted against additional security funding for our embassies? Among those who should testify under oath and in front of the cameras should be Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) who, in an interview on October 10, 2012, said about why he voted against the additional funding:

"Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have — think about this — 15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, private army there for President Obama in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces? When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices how to prioritize this."

May 3, 2014 12:21 pm at 12:21 pm |

Gurgyl

--gooooood ideeeeeeaaaa, Lizzuuuuu......goooood.

May 3, 2014 12:38 pm at 12:38 pm |

broady

I don't see " what difference does it make!!"

May 3, 2014 12:42 pm at 12:42 pm |

van3456

Come on....its two and a half years away...she could have more fainting spells or anything. .. who knows that far off.

May 3, 2014 12:50 pm at 12:50 pm |

ED1

Wow that's a surprise NOT.

May 3, 2014 01:04 pm at 1:04 pm |

stingerhp

Way to go kaine.. When is your term up for re-election ? Hope you have all your bases covered....

May 3, 2014 03:13 pm at 3:13 pm |

Chuck

Wow what a surprise...........................that guy is one of the most disgusting politicians
the US has ever known.

May 3, 2014 06:19 pm at 6:19 pm |

Kudo

ONE WORD..... 'BENGHAZI'. Hope I spelled it right. But, NO WAY will she get my female vote..... EVER!! And I don't care where she's been or anything about this woman. And as far as I am concerned Bill should have ditched this evil minded woman long ago.

May 3, 2014 06:34 pm at 6:34 pm |

ThinkAgain - Don't like Congress? Get rid of the repub/tea bag majority.

@broady: "I don't see " what difference does it make!!"

You think you're cute, but you're not. Here's the context of the quote, something you've probably never seen (and I dare you to have the guts to read it and admit you're being played by the RWNJ media, like fox):

"Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?

IT IS OUR JOB to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator. Now, honestly, I will do my best to answer your questions about this. But the fact is that people were trying in real
time to get the best information….But, you know, to be clear, it is, from my perspective, less important today looking backwards as to why these militants decided they did it than to find them and bring them to justice, and then maybe
we’ll figure out what was going on in the meantime."

May 3, 2014 08:07 pm at 8:07 pm |

Marie MD

@lizzie, funny you should bring that up. Wasn't your boy shrub #43 appointed by the SCOTUS?
If Michelle Obama could finish what her husband has started and we can get rid of the teaklans in congress (those who have not gerrymandered themselves for life) she can make us better.
As far as Hillary . . . . if you think the adelson's and Koch's of the world couldn't buy an election in 2008 and more notably in 2012 do you really think that we are going to allow them to do so in 2016?
Dream on.